Metal Gear Solid: The Patriots
by DavidW
Summary: The continuing saga of the search for the truth behind the Patriots and the war that will divide the world.... IMPORTANT NOTICE! For those of you who have already started reading my story, reread Chapter 2! It has been updated!
1. Part One, Chapter One

Metal Gear Solid

The Patriots

By John Weathers

Part One: Raiden's Tale

I

Shadows of the Past

As always, the young man found himself being drawn to one particular spot on one particular street. Actually, many people often found themselves drawn to it, especially tourists. It was one of the most frequented spots in New York, save for the Twin Towers memorial. But for him, it was more that just a curiosity. It had been a major part of his life.

He never quite understood why he was constantly drawn back there. In truth, it represented a part of his life that he had hoped to leave behind forever, a part of his life that caused nightmares while he slept, that, when brought up in conversation, always caused a sudden and anxious silence. Especially when he talked about it with his wife.

But just as much as he would prefer it otherwise, it was just as much a part of his life as his current existence. And remembering it could only make him stronger. And, just as the man sometimes called Snake had once told him to, he would, someday, pass on the story of that part of his life to his, as of yet, unborn children.

Despite all this, the young man, otherwise known as Jack Raiden, couldn't help but feel a shiver as he approached the crash site of the immense Arsenal Gear.

It had been two years since the crash and _still _the city government had yet to come up with a realistic plan to remove the massive hulk of metal that was once a literal floating fortress. Jack was still surprised that no one had come and swooped up the big machine yet. Certainly there were many terrorists groups and militant factions that would have given anything for the incredible technological might that Arsenal Gear represented: a cargo hold full of the latest 'Tengus' line of military hardware, a nano-factory capable of mass producing hundreds of the smaller Metal Gears, and even, supposedly, a new and improved nuclear warhead that would make even atomic and hydrogen bombs pale in comparison. Jack suspected that the only reason why no one had snatched it up was because of, of course, Arsenal Gear's mysterious creators....

Jack pulled his brown coat tighter against himself and watched as a couple of ever-present police officers sent a warning glance at a tourist who was getting too close to the wreck. Jack slowly began to walk around the whole mess, which was easily as wide as a fair-sized, New York skyscraper from end to end.

What Jack couldn't understand was why Arsenal's Gears initiators hadn't removed the wreck yet, either. All that hardware sitting right there where their enemies could find it...and at least some of it _had _to be able to lead back to _them_. Unless of course, even _they _had no idea how to get rid of it....

So, it sat there, police officers all around it, attempting to keep the peace and people away from it as tourists snapped pictures and shook their heads in incredulity.

Jack blew out a long breath and watched as it turned into thin vapor. Checking his wrist watch, he realized that he had spent way too much time there already. Rose was probably starting to get worried.

Turning Jack, headed back down the street, with one, last glance back at the remains of Arsenal Gear. Seeing it brought back the dark memories of when he had actually ridden aboard it...and of the rest of his terrible mission onboard the Big Shell.

Jack opened the door to the apartment his shared with his wife, Rose, and walked in, never suspecting that anything could possibly be wrong.

"Rose?" Jack called softly. He wanted to be quiet. Rose had taken to napping now that she was pregnant. It helped ease her discomfort.

It was only when Jack walked into the empty bedroom that he began to feel the stirrings of unease.

"Rose?" He called again, louder this time. Quickly, but quietly, he checked the rest of the rooms in their apartment. It didn't take long; they had a small apartment.

Jack tried to quiet the fear that suddenly began to well up inside him.

"Maybe she just went out...." But even out loud, Jack's excuse sounded weak. Rose hadn't planned on going anywhere and she normally told him such things.

Just to be sure, he looked at the 'To Do' list tacked next to the phone in their small kitchen/dining room. Nothing. Rose had planned on being home all day. Now, Jack's fear went from a whisper to a dull roar. Something was terribly wrong.

"Where the hell is she?" Jack glared around the living room of their apartment, as if it held the answers. But the only answer he heard was the patter of rain and the muffled rumbling of thunder of an approaching storm.

And then, Jack heard a sound he had hoped he would never hear again, a shrill beeping that signified that someone was calling him on the Codec, the advanced nanite transmission unit plugged in directly in his brain.

And very few people were capable of contacting him on the Codec and most of those people he never wished to see again.

Tentatively, he reached a hand up to his ear, a move that the nanites in his body recognized as the one used to activate the Codec.

His vision of the apartment faded and was replaced by the black and teal background of the Codec, and waiting for him inside the Codec transmission was one of the people he had hoped he would never see again.

The Colonel.

"Raiden." The image said in its gravely, authoritative voice. The Colonel's appearance hadn't changed at all from the way Jack remembered it: old and haggard but with a commanding presence, a military green uniform decked out in medals, and a simple green beret to match. The truly frightening thing was that Jack was not speaking with human being: the Colonel was something alien and artificial and appeared to be only a mouthpiece for its darker masters.

The Patriots.

"You!" Jack shouted, hoping the being before him was able the detect every ounce of hatred that filled his voice, "What have you done with Rose!"

"Calm down, Raiden. She is safe...for the moment," the Colonel said ominously.

"I want to speak with her!"

"Raiden-"

"Now, dammit!"

The Colonel sighed, which was strange considering he wasn't human, and appeared to relent. The image of the Colonel faded and was replaced by that of Rose's.

"Rose!" Jack went to reach out to her, but quickly remembered that this was only a transmission and his hands dropped limply.

"Hello, Jack." She said, smiling weakly. She looked the same as when Jack had last seen her; that was to say, she did indeed look unharmed, but she was obviously scared, now.

"It's going to be alright, Rose...." He said comfortingly, wondering who he was reassuring: her or him.

"I know it is, Jack." She said, in a voice that was much more confident than his. "So far, they have treated me pretty well here. I was asleep the entire time here -wherever here is. I'm sure they planned it that way. Otherwise, they've been good about taking of...other things," she murmured, touching a hand to her swelling abdomen.

Jack tried to smile, but ended up swallowing nervously instead, "Don't worry, Rose. I'll get us out this."

"I know you will, Jack." She said quietly. "Jack?"

"Yes?"

"I love-"

"Time's up, Raiden." Instantly, Rose's appearance dissipated and was replaced by the Colonel. Jack glared vehemently, and began to clench and unclench his fists. _The least you could have done is let her finish, you soulless bastard!_

"It is simple, Raiden, as simple as it was before," the Colonel continued unemotionally, "do as we ask, or Rose, your unborn child, and Olga's child dies."

Jack squeezed his eyes closed and gritted his teeth together. _This can't be happening. I left this all behind me. I started my life over. I have a wife and will someday have a family. Why can't they leave me alone? Why can't they just go away...._

But he knew they wouldn't. Jack exhaled as his head fell and shoulders slumped. "What do you want?" Jack said, his voice that of a defeated man's.

"Do you recall a man named Revolver Ocelot?" The Colonel asked without missing a beat, "He was aboard the Big Shell during the Sons of Liberty incident, acting as Solidus Snake's second in command."

Jack only nodded, his face lowered. Although he and Ocelot had encountered each other only rarely, Jack remembered every detail of the Big Shell mission, especially the people....

"You also realize that he was acting as a Patriot double agent then, correct?" The Colonel continued, "He was there under our orders to supervise your mission and, as necessary, sabotage the Sons of Liberty's plans."

Again, Jack nodded dejectedly.

"Did you notice anything...peculiar about Ocelot's behavior when you were with him?"

At this, Jack perked up slightly. There was...something that he had never quite understood about the Big Shell mission. In the end, Ocelot had tried to kill them all using a commandeered Metal Gear, but suddenly stopped at one point. After that, he had spoken to Solid Snake, who had been with him, Solidus, and Fortune at the time, on the top deck of Arsenal Gear, but...his voice and his entire personality had changed. Ocelot then dove off Arsenal Gear with Solid Snake trailing behind him. Jack hadn't really gotten a chance to discuss it with Snake afterwards.

"Yes, I did. What...?"

The Colonel took a deep breath, "During the Shadow Moses incident, both Revolver Ocelot and a man know as Liquid Snake lost their right arms. Ocelot ended up using Liquid's arm to replace his own, since, because of Liquid's unique genetic engineering, it was able to function as well as if it was Ocelot's own arm. However, by that same genetic engineering, Liquid has somehow managed to..._live _on, _inside _of Revolver Ocelot!"

Jack blinked repeatedly in disbelief, "Are you serious, sir?" _Old habits die hard, apparently.... _Jack thought to himself inwardly. He had just called the Colonel 'sir', something he hadn't done in two years....

"I am incapable of joking, Raiden."

"So...where do I fit into all of this?"

"I am getting to that." The Colonel cleared his throat, another, bizarrely human gesture, and continued, "After Liquid possessed Ocelot's body, we lost track of it for quite some time. However, using the latest sensor technology, we were able to locate it in the remote regions of Antarctica."

Jack blinked. "Antarctica?"

"Yes. Specifically a region of Antarctica that contains an abandoned genetics research laboratory. Jack, that facility contains equipment that could be loosely classified as 'cloning devices'" The Colonel said heavily, "I believe you know where I am heading with this."

Jack's eyes widened. "Liquid is trying to recreate his body!"

"Exactly."

"So, what do you want from me?"

"We do not think that Liquid has had time to use the equipment. It is far too degraded. Instead, he appears to be gathering various allies, who are bringing with them the parts needed to fix the cloning machines. This may be our only chance to stop him."

"Uh...and how exactly would you like me to do that?"

The Colonel looked at Jack in disappointment, "Infiltrate the genetics facility and kill him, of course."

_Of course. _"What about Ocelot? Isn't he still you agent?"

"Ocelot is expendable in this matter. It is not as if we don't have other agents," _Me, for instance_, "Make no mistake Raiden, Liquid needs to die, no matter what form he takes."

Jack couldn't help but smirk mirthlessly, "Sounds to me like you are afraid of this guy."

The Colonel visibly bristled at this. "We fear _no one_, Raiden. Liquid merely represents a...quantifiable threat to us, that is all."

_Yeah, right. _"Why is he that much of a danger?"

The Colonel was thoughtfully silent for a time. "With Solidus," he said finally, "we knew exactly what we were up against. After all, he was our puppet, for a time, under the guise of President George C. Sears. During that time, our psychological analysts studied him until we were able manipulate him like a master puppeteer. In fact, as we told you before you fought him, the entire sequence of events that occurred aboard the Big Shell had been directed by us as a test for you. Our operation was never in any real danger because of Solidus, thanks to you and Ocelot."

"However," he continued, "Liquid is an unknown to us. Although we did psychological profiling on him, it was no where near as deep as Solidus's and that was several years before the Shadow Moses incident, an incident that our analysts had, strangely. been unable to predict. Additionally, unlike with the Big Shell, Liquid had come very close to starting a third World War, with him, using Metal Gear Rex, as the dominating force. If he has the cunning and skill to do that, there's no telling what else he is capable of. Worse, he now appears to be _directly _seeking a confrontation with _us_. Liquid is indeed a huge danger to us, Raiden."

Jack nodded slowly, "You mentioned him gathering allies. Who, exactly?"

"Well, there is the remnants of Gurlukovich's militia-"

Jack groaned. "I thought they died aboard Arsenal Gear!"

"Apparently, there were still a few cells hidden away. And without either Olga or Gurlukovich himself to lead them, they don't really have anyone else to follow but whoever will take them. Now, as I was saying," The Colonel cleared his throat again, "there's the militia, various terrorist groups that Liquid has somehow coerced into joining, a few mercenaries of a myriad of shapes and sizes, and even, if the reports are correct, the remaining members of the Sons of Liberty."

Jack, who had been nodding in thought, suddenly stopped cold. "No. That's not possible."

"Raiden-"

"I _killed _them all, Colonel. I watched each of them die." Well that was only partially true. Although he _had _seen all of them die, Ocelot was actually the one who finished off Fortune. "_None _of the Sons of Liberty could have survived."

"Believe me, Raiden, I know. After all, we monitored your confrontations with the Sons of Liberty specifically to make sure you neutralized them. But the fact remains that there are personnel inside of the research facility that, for some reason or another, resemble that of a member of the Sons of Liberty."

_It can't be, I saw them all die.... _But, from deep within him, a darker voice spoke up. _Well, there was..._him. _You killed _him _twice, and you saw _him _return to life twice. You never saw if you had actually finished him off for good.... _

"Raiden?"

Jack realized, with a jerk of his head, that he had been briefly zoning off. "Sorry."

For just a few seconds, Jack could have sworn that the Colonel had given him what could only be described as a sympathetic look. But then, he was all business again, "The rest of the information about your mission shall be given to you when you arrive in Antarctica, in an as-you-need-to-know format."

_Just like old times. _"Understood." Jack gave one last, long sigh. "Raiden out."

The Codec screen disappeared from his field of view and was replaced by his apartment's living room. Through the window. Jack saw that, during the time he had spent on the Codec, the rumbling in the distance had become a full-fledged storm.

Completely numb on both the inside and the outside, Jack walked stiffly to the room he had once shared with his wife. Opening the closet, he reached up and pulled out a simple brown box, like one someone might put clothes in. But this box did not contain clothes....

Jack smiled slightly. Rose had begged him to get rid of _it _after about a year in their apartment. He had told her had, to make her happy, but kept it, secretly, for the same reason why he visited Arsenal Gear everyday: because deep down, he knew he could not outrun his past.

And he was right.

Jack angrily brushed away a stray tear that ran down his cheek and opened the box.

Outside, the thunder crashed as Jack lifted his SOCOM sidearm out of the box and shoved a clip into the handle. He was no longer Jack, loving husband and soon-to-be father. He was Raiden; warrior and agent of the Patriots.

Jack left the apartment the next day, never to return....


	2. Chapter Two

II

Antarctica

As soon as Raiden opened the door, he was buffeted by what seemed like an avalanche of snow. He quickly close the door and walked around his vehicle, a highly-specialized, armored, all-terrain 'Tengus' APC, and stood so that the vehicle blocked the frigid, Antarctic winds from reaching him. It was still incredibly cold, and Raiden shivered underneath his insulated parka.

Raiden had trained for missions in hostile environments, but, as with most of his training, it had been all with VR, which was definitely not the same as the real thing. Worse, Raiden was a fairly skinny guy, something that was generally a bonus in stealth missions where speed and agility were key, but in no way protected him from the cold.

Raiden blew on his shivering hands, which were freezing despite the heavy-duty gloves he wore, and put his hand up to his ear.

"Colonel?" He queried, as the snowy landscape was replaced by a black and teal one.

"Raiden. I see you are in position."

"What now?"

"I am afraid you are going to have to walk the rest of the way to the installation."

"What?!" _Are you insane!? _Raiden didn't add.

"The facility is equipped with high tech sensors, Raiden. Any closer, and your APC will be detected."

"Great. How am I supposed to get to the facility without becoming a Raiden-cicle?"

"Go back inside the APC. We were careful in making sure you got the equipment you would need."

His teeth chattering, Raiden temporarily logged off the Codec and shuffled his way back inside. Raiden felt immense relief as he closed the iron door to the outside and walked into the heated interior.

The APC was, basically, a giant, mobile command center. Normally, it would have held about a dozen or more soldiers plus their gear. With only Raiden in it, it was actually even roomier than his apartment.

The only problem was that the APC was designed to eliminate background radio noise to such a degree that it interfered with any other forms of communications save for the APC's own, and, strangely, that included the Codec, hence Raiden's trek outside.

Raiden popped back onto the Codec only to hear a garbled Colonel say, "Switch...radio...APC."

_Now he tells me.... _Raiden thought with sigh as he headed for the front part of the APC, which was more like the cockpit of an airplane.

Raiden switched the radio on and adjusted the frequency to the one the Colonel used to contact him with. Raiden also flipped a few switches that would let him hear the Colonel throughout the APC.

"_That's better. Now, head to the back part of the APC, where we showed you we had kept your SOCOM and M9_." Unlike normal communication via radio, the APC's radio eliminated the fuzzy background noise normally associate with radio, so that the Colonel came in almost as clearly as if he were on the Codec. There just wasn't, obviously, an image there to represent the Colonel.

Raiden walked to the back of the APC, which was rather spartan, save for his sleeping palette and couple of gray boxes, one of which contained his handguns. Again, the reason why it was so empty was because that, normally, the back of APC was both where the soldiers slept and where they stowed the bulk of their gear; but again, there was only Raiden to occupy it.

"_Open the crate that is marked with the serial number '101387'_."

Raiden visually scanned the boxes quickly and soon found the one the Colonel was talking about. Pushing aside the other boxes, Raiden then opened the one marked '101387' and peered in.

"_As you can see, it is a replica of your 'Skull' suit, from the Big Shell mission_," the Colonel said as Raiden pulled it out and unfolded it, "_This one, however, has been adapted for Artic and Antarctic environments. In addition to being white, so as to allow you to blend in with the snow, it has been equipped with a special, nanite thermal insulation_."

"Thermal? Nanites? Insulation?"

"_Yes. The nanites automatically adjust the amount of heat they generate based on the surrounding temperatures. Additionally, although they run off the suit's miniaturized power plant, they are capable of expanding beyond the suit in order to heat the parts of your body that are directly exposed, such as your face and head_."

Raiden couldn't help but continue to look at the suit in skepticism. The Colonel was right about one thing: it _did _look just like his Skull suit, only dyed white. The suit was capable of lessening the impact of bullets, absorbing shrapnel from low-level explosives, and even preventing the wearer from being cleaved in half by a high-frequency blade, but could it also be capable of keeping him warm in a below-zero environment?

As if sensing his doubt, the Colonel suddenly spoke up, "_Try it on, Raiden. Then, go outside and see for yourself_."

Raiden shrugged and quickly stripped out of his parka and black jumpsuit. He then threw on the Skull suit. It was strange being back in it. It literally fit him like a second skin; now he truly had been transformed from the mild-mannered Jack to the shadowy assassin, Raiden.

Another odd feature of the APC was that it actually contained a small bathroom, of all things. Just before going out, Raiden decided to examine himself in the bathroom's small mirror.

Normally, Raiden's bleach-blonde hair was mistaken for being white by most people, but, with the suit on, his hair looked more gray than white. Additionally, Raiden saw dark circles under his blue eyes and there was even a thin layer of stubble on his angular chin.

_I look like hell. Than, again I _feel _like hell , too. It is appropriate, I suppose; I do serve_ _the Devil, after all...._

With that particularly cheery thought in mind, Raiden finally decided to step outside and put the suit to the test.

At first, things weren't too promising. As soon as Raiden opened the heavy iron door of the APC, he was hit with a blast of cold air that nearly turned him into an icicle then and there. But then, Raiden began to feel a strange sensation spreading from the middle of his suit. _Warmth. _After a few minutes, even his face felt as it had inside the heated APC.

"_As you can see,_" Raiden heard the Colonel say from inside the APC, "_It is quite effective_."

Raiden looked down at himself inside the suit. He couldn't help but be impressed. Shaking his head, he went back inside of the APC, so he could hear the Colonel better.

"Now what?"

"_Originally, there were several openings to the Antarctic facility, but, according to our latest reports, all but one have either been blocked off or simply destroyed_."

"And the only opening left is heavily guarded." _Just figures._

"_Yes. There is an armory southwest of the opening that is serving as a makeshift guard tower, the actual opening is guarded by snipers and CYPHERS, and satellite scans show infantry on snowmobiles patrolling the nearby tundra."_

"So, how do I get in?"

"_That, we left up to you._"

_Absolutely wonderful. _Raiden sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration "Understood. Raiden out."

Raiden headed to the back of the APC once more to retrieve his sidearms. After holstering them, he made sure to also equip himself with a set of binoculars and several ration packs, all of which the Patriots had graciously provided. At the beginning of the mission, Raiden had felt slightly cheesed that the Patriots hadn't provided him with any hardware heavier than his very own sidearms. But now, he felt almost...excited. Here he was again, ready to plunge into enemy territory, with only the Skull suit and a pair of pistols against a foe that was better armed and who greatly outnumbered him. It was almost like being back aboard the Big Shell....

_I must be going crazy, _Raiden thought to himself with a shake of his head, _I am starting to feel nostalgia for the Big Shell mission!_

Raiden powered down the APC just before he left. The APC was nuclear powered so running out of fuel was no issue; he just didn't want the enemy to find it before he was able to get back to it, and even a big metallic mass like the APC looked a hell of a lot less threatening when it wasn't producing mass amounts of heat, as well.

Raiden found that is was easier, this time, to leave the APC, now that the heating system of his suit was fully engaged. Raiden pressed his hand to the small screen next to the handle of the door. After a second, Raiden heard a beep and then a _hiss chunk _as the door locked itself via vacuum seal. Now, only Raiden's DNA could unlock it.

Raiden glanced out across the frozen wasteland of Antarctica. According to the radar attached to his suit, the Antarctic installation lied directly ahead of him. With a big sigh, Raiden began to trudge foreword.

* * *

"**Raiden has begun his mission?**"

"Yes. He has almost reached the installation, in fact."

"**Your backup agent is in place, correct?**"

"Yes, but I still do not think it is necessary."

"**As always, we shall be the judges of that.**"

"The boy wouldn't possibly try to go against you, now. He still cares far too much for...unimportant things. We have yet to truly break him. Only then could he possibly be a threat."

"**Hopefully, this mission will change both his priorities and his sense of loyalty. Actually, no matter the outcome, this mission will have been only the first of young Raiden's final tests. In fact, Hunter is only there to make sure Liquid is properly disposed of.**"

"Ah, so that is how it is. More tests...just like the Big Shell."

"**_This_ test carries some measure of risk, but yes.**"

"Mm. And what of Snake?"

"**You will eventually find that taking care of this problem, shall, in time, take care of that one.**"

"So, you want the boy to...."

"**That _is_ what this has been about all along, after all**."

* * *

As soon as Raiden saw the lights of the snowmobiles, he ducked back down behind the snow dune and pulled out his binoculars. Zooming in, he watched as the twin sets of snowmobiles zigzagged across the otherwise empty tundra. In the distance, he could make out the square, flat form of the armory, which was his current goal. During the seemingly endless walk toward the facility, Raiden had had an ample amount of time with which to formulate a plan of action. Or at least part of one.

_Okay, Raiden, let's do this. _As soon as the snowmobiles disappeared from site, the sounds of their engines fading in the distance, Raiden took off running across the snowy tundra, the wind and snow fighting him the entire way, sending his blonde hair whipping around in a frenzy that made it even harder to see. Not that Raiden really needed to see that much; just his target: the armory.

As he ran, the armory slowly began to take shape. It looked more like a warehouse than a military building, with icy blue, ribbed steel walls and a snow covered roof. It was flat against the ground and even its roof was barely pointed at the top; an attempt to make it inconspicuous to prying eyes, both in the air and on the ground.

Eventually, Raiden was able to make out a sliding, steel door as well. As he expected, there was also a camera nearby, its blinking green light giving it away even in the snowstorm. Raiden, still running, removed his SOCOM from one of the many discrete pouches on his suit and aimed from the blinking light of the camera. Hoping that whatever terrorists that were nearby wouldn't be able to hearing anything through the snowstorm, Raiden fired.

The light winked out and his radar still was active; had he been detected, the terrorists would have jammed it. Smiling despite the fact that he was running in a blizzard, Raiden slowed and flattened himself to the side of the armory. Raiden paused and breathed slowly and deeply, in order to calm the panting from his exertions, all the while keeping an ear out for the sounds of any returning snowmobiles. Once his breath had returned to normal, he slowly crept to the nearby steel door.

_Damn. _The door was electronically locked. And from the looks of it, only the correct security card would be able to get him in.

_I've come this far, I can't go back now! _Raiden leaned against the door and pounded the door lightly in frustration. Raiden's eyes suddenly snapped open when door began to give in to his weight. Scrambling away from the door, Raiden looked and saw that the locking mechanism of door was frozen solid. In fact, the entire door had become brittle from the extreme cold. Raiden pushed on it as softly as he could, and, soon, he had bent and twisted it enough to make a hole larger enough for him to get through.

_That was way too easy.... _Raiden though to himself as he squeezed through the hole and into the armory. Blinking rapidly, Raiden tried to adjust his eyes to the darker confines of the warehouse-like building.

As his vision slowly attuned itself, Raiden was finally able to make out the interior. If the outside resembled a warehouse, the inside was even worse. Rows upon rows of huge metal shelves filled the vacuous room Raiden found himself in. Raiden supposed that, under normal conditions, one might have been able to find stacks of crates filled with military hardware, but, as was to be expected, the armory was bare; the terrorists had stripped it clean.

Raiden jumped at the sounds of muffled voices in the distance. Crouching low to the ground, and gripping his SOCOM tightly, Raiden slowly crept in the direction of the voices. Eventually, he was able to make out actual words.

"Dammit! Why the hell are we here?!" the first voice said in Russian.

"Uh...because Liquid needs us to protect the facility?" the second voice answered in the same language. As apart of his training, Raiden had learned to understand every language of the world, allowing him to understand the two speakers even though they were using their native language.

"No! Why are we _here_? In the middle of nowhere? In the armory and not inside the facility?!"

"Oh, that. Well-"

"I'll tell you why! Because we're not '_good_' enough to guard the facility. No, we are yesterday's trash! Instead, Liquid's got those 'new' and 'improved' terrorists doing _our _job!" The terrorist's voice dropped to a murmur, "Damned Arabs. Blow up two measly towers and they think they own the world...."

"Come on. It's not that bad. At least there's no one here to stop us from drinking on duty." A pause told Raiden that the second voice was doing just that, "Also, this way we don't run into some of the freaks Liquid has wandering the base."

"Hmph. I suppose. I just wish we could have been assigned something with a little more action to it. It has been _forever _since I was able to shoot something...."

"Here, comrade. Have another drink. It'll make you feel better."

"Oh, alright."

By this point, Raiden had reached the small room the two militiamen were lazing around in. Peeking around the corner and through the doorway, Raiden saw the two terrorists slumped over a small brown table and the bottles of vodka that littered the stone floor.

All at once, an idea took shape within Raiden's head. Pocketing his SOCOM, Raiden reached for his M9. Whirling around the corner, Raiden snapped off two tranquilizer darts in the terrorists' direction.

One hit a terrorist in the arm and the other in the man's leg, but, as Raiden had expected, the two men had already consumed enough alcohol that they went out like a light anyway. The two terrorists' bodies fell to the floor with a small thump.

Holstering his M9, Raiden walked over to the terrorists....

* * *

"Hey, its Dmitri!"

Lieutenant Stepanovich peered in the direction in which his comrade was pointing. Sure enough, he could see Dmitri outside of the armory, waving frantically in their direction.

Stepanovich sighed. "They are probably out of vodka, again. Come on." With great reluctance, both he and his partner turned their snowmobiles in the direction of the armory.

As they got closer, Stepanovich was able to make out that Dmitri was quite drunk, even though the man's black mask was still on him: the soldier slowly swayed back and forth and he even belched loudly when they got closer.

Stepanovich and his partner slowed to a stop in front of the swaying man. Stepanovich glared sternly at him. "That is it! No more alcohol for you!"

"Ivan...passed...out...inside...." Dmitri muttered haltingly before falling over sideways.

Stepanovich sighed again. "C'mon, Alexi. You take this one, I'll go find Ivan."

Alexi nodded as they both dismounted. Stepanovich only made it to the doorway before he heard the sound of someone's fist connecting solidly with someone else's head.

"Alexi?" Stepanovich was about to turn when he felt something small and sharp hit his head. Then all he felt was extremely tired....

* * *

Raiden quickly slipped off the brown mask and stripped out of the terrorist's heavy overcoat. Turning, he made sure to shoot a dart into the terrorist he had cold cocked, just for good measure.

Then, Raiden slipped into the uniform of the terrorist he had tranquilized, got onto one of the snowmobiles parked nearby, and began driving in the direction of the Antarctic facility....


End file.
